Testing Water Heater Spillage: Backdrafting Combustion Fumes from Natural Draft DHW

I've tested hundreds of combustion-fueled heating appliances, and this is way more common than you'd hope. Watch my friend Wade Thompson of Utah's amazing Intermountain Weatherization Training Center give a quick demonstration of how easy it is to pass and fail this important home health test.

See way more about Wade's work in Season 2 of Home Diagnosis: https://HomeDiagnosis.tv

Check out Wade's organization: http://iwtcutah.org/

Attic Hatch Fix: First Steps

There should not be insulation fibers spilling out around your attic hatch or ladder. Here’s the first thing your contractor SHOULD have done, which is easy to do yourself. Attic insulation jobs have a reputation for being sloppy- they call them ‘blow and go’ contractors, and you should avoid those guys. Plenty of high quality insulation contractors out there who can even test their work with a blower door and infrared camera.

What Spillage Looks Like from a Water Heater

Testing for "spillage" of combustion gases means making sure the bad stuff that's supposed to go UP the chimney doesn't come back DOWN.  It's a critical part of home performance analysis, according to BPI, RESNET, and everyone else.  If you don't know what it looks like, you might feel a little lost- let your old pal Corbett the diagnostics guy show you the single most awesome example of what you shouldn't see in your clients' homes!